One Last Call
by Spongecatdog
Summary: Noiz was dying but not before he did one more thing. He had to make that One Last Call.


**A/N: One day, I will stop hurting Noiz. Until that day, he is completely fucked.**

**In other news, this was based off of the by the prompt:**

_**'Person B knowing they're undoubtedly about to die within the next few seconds, likely from the gaping wound they're bleeding out from. Instead of calling for help, they phone Person A and carry on a casual conversation as if nothing is wrong, making sure to mention how much they love them before their time runs out.'**_

**By the wonderful people on Tumblr who go by otpdisaster (who I recommend, because they will tear your heart out, and its great tbh)**

* * *

Blood is streaming out of his leg, and Noiz knows his fate is inevitable. He doesn't even try to escape the thoughts instead preferring to cut straight through whatever panicked filled hopes his mind would want to have. No. There was no point to trying make himself feel better with false illusions, so Noiz refused to even begin to have thoughts of hope.

Noiz was going to die, and he knew it.

It didn't take a genius or even a doctor to figure out Noiz was going to die. Anyone could guess that he didn't have much longer by the steady rate of blood continuing to pour out of him. However, someone with medical knowledge would know that Noiz was doomed to die in five minutes from bleeding out due to the cut in his femoral artery if he didn't seek immediate medical attention.

So with or without any medical knowledge, Noiz knew he was going to die, and it was too late for him to be saved. And yeah, it sucked. Noiz hated it. He hated the last thing he was going to see was a dirty alleyway along with a few stray knocked out bodies laying on the cold ground. He despised the fact a certain blue haired man couldn't be the last thing he saw before he went wherever those who die go. But the thing that Noiz abhorred most was the fact that his and Aoba's future was taken away by his past (old Rhymers who still held a strong grudge to be exact). It wasn't like hating and being angry would change anything though, so Noiz moved on to try and see how bad the other parts of his body were damaged.

Noiz breathed deeply, wincing slightly at the added pressure on his ribs. Thankfully, his ribs weren't broken (or at least, he was pretty sure the bones were still intact), but Noiz knew the bones had to be cracked. There was no way he could be in so much pain otherwise. Noiz hated to think that Aoba would have to see him cutten up and bruised when his body was lowered into the ground. Or maybe Aoba would choose to cremate him instead? Noiz had never had much of a preference of how his body would be handled after he died. He had never thought he would have to deal with the thoughts as young as he was.

His thoughts took a different direction in hopes of possibly not falling into despair. There was no way an ambulance was going to get there before he bled out, which admittedly wasn't the brightest thought, but it was a new thought. Even if Noiz was being optimistic about how quick the ambulance would come, it would be at least eight minutes. Far longer than the time Noiz had (five minutes can be surprisingly short when your blood is pouring out of you and you're dying). Noiz highly doubted that an ambulance would even come to the dirty alleyway he was stuck in anyways, so whatever hope he could have had was thoroughly diminished. The only thing he could do was to wait out his death. It was dark and morbid, but death was inevitable for him. But still, Noiz had to do one more thing before succumbing to death.

He had to call Aoba.

Noiz had to make sure Aoba had those last seconds of peace and happiness before he had to deal with the loneliness of what life would become for him after Noiz died. It wasn't much but even something would be good. Noiz wanted to hold off on Aoba's pain and anguish for as long as he was able to do so. It was the last thing he could do for the man.

So Noiz sat up slowly, wincing at the pain from his ribs that came from moving. He grunted and rolled up his pants before applying pressure on the wound. Noiz let out a low hiss at the pain. Using his own clothes that had been covered by the grime on the ground as a makeshift bandage wasn't the best (or most sanitary) way to help slow down the bleeding, but it wasn't like Noiz would be alive long enough to deal with any bacterial infection or diseases he might get from putting his dirtied clothes on raw flesh. Noiz breathed deeply and applied even more pressure on the bleeding wound before pulling one hand away to open his Coil. It wasn't that hard to find Aoba. He had put the man on speed dial long ago, so Aoba was at the top of his list and only a click away. Noiz breathed deeply once more to try and stabilize his breathing before tapping the 'Call' option on his Coil.

Eternity seemed to pass as the sound of ringing filled the alleyway. A brief feeling of terror coursed through Noiz's body as thoughts with a sharp, panicked edge began to flit through his mind. Thoughts like '_What if he doesn't answer?'_ and '_What do I do if Aoba isn't near his Coil right now?'_ plagued his mind, causing his breathing to quicken. Noiz couldn't do anything about whether or not Aoba answered his coil; he could only wait a hope, something that was quickly becoming harder for him as the seconds ticked away. Sharp stabs of pain up his spine everytime he inhaled too harshly and caused his ribs to move. His breathing only began to slow when he heard a noise on the opposite end of the line.

"Noiz?" There was a shuffling sound as if Aoba was moving something to the side and then a distinct 'clink' of a cup being placed on a table. "You're calling early. Is something up?"

The curiosity was thick in Aoba's tone and the way he asked was so casual Noiz was almost overcome by the distinct feeling of how _right_ it felt to talk to Aoba. He chuckled, immediately regretting it as the action sent another ripple of pain to shoot throughout his body. Aoba made a small noise of indignation at the sound of Noiz's chuckle.

"Its a legitimate question! You only ever call after five on your way home, and its," There was a pause (probably Aoba checking the time) before Aoba spoke up again. "Only 3? Why are you you out so early?" Suspicion began to lace Aoba's tone, making Noiz snort. Only Aoba could sound that suspicious over him getting off of work early.

"Nothing much. I just got off work early to grab something…"

Noiz threw a glance at the clock on his Coil. The call had already taken around thirty seconds, and it had been at least another thirty seconds before Noiz called Aoba and finally a minute after he was stabbed to fully register what happened and what it meant, which meant he only had about three more minutes to live. He would have to use his remaining minutes wisely… He wanted to say everything before he had to let Aoba know the truth. Yes. He could continue with his lies a little further. Aoba began speaking again, instantly reclaiming Noiz's attention.

"Grab something? Ah, did we run out of groceries again?" Noiz could just barely make out the sound of Aoba's bare feet padding across the floor before he heard a door open. Aoba made a small sound of confusion. "We're fine on food… Did you have to go out for work?" Noiz let out a few chuckles that turned into coughing quickly. Noiz hissed loudly enough that Aoba must have heard.

"Noiz? Are you okay? You aren't getting sick, are you? Ah, but they say idiots can't catch colds, can they?" Noiz closed his eyes and could almost see Aoba smirking at his own joke. Noiz opened his eyes again and rolled them. What a nerd… A nerd he would never see again. Noiz breathed deeply and wondered when his vision had gotten so blurry. Noiz squeezed his eyes shut before opening them again in an attempt to clear his vision if only a little bit. It didn't help much, but he could see the clock now.

He had two minutes left to live before he would faint from bloodloss.

If he was going to tell Aoba something, it had to be now.

"Noiz, seriously are you oka-"

"Aoba. I love you."

Noiz smiled again, hearing a loud surprised squawk from the other side of the line. He could practically see Aoba's bright red, indignant expression. Noiz said the words all the time, but he still got the most adorable reactions from Aoba every time. He loved the way Aoba would blush, loved the way Aoba would jerk his head away quickly in attempt to hide said blush, loved _Aoba_.

"Noiz, I- W-What's exactly with that sudden confession?! Are you messing with me or something?"

Aoba's voice held a tone of irritation, but it was more from the thought of being teased than actual annoyance with Noiz himself. While Noiz might have teased him more and dragged out his 'I love you' to see how high Aoba's voice might go, he was running out of time.

Another glance at the clock on his Coil.

A minute and thirty seconds.

He didn't have time for Aoba's antics, cute as they were.

"Tell me you love me back."

Noiz was beginning to get dizzy, and he honestly wasn't sure anymore how much pressure he was applying to his leg. Was his hand even on his leg anymore? Noiz couldn't be sure. Come to think of it, he wasn't sure about a lot of things right now. Like whether or not confusion as a symptom of blood loss came in the later moments of bleeding out.

"What? Noiz. Are you sure you're oka-"

Aoba seemed to finally be catching on that something was wrong, and honestly it is so like Aoba to only really how serious the situation is now even with how well Noiz could act, but Noiz couldn't tell him. Not yet. Not until after he got that response he craved.

"Aoba. Please. Tell me you love me."

There was a pause and then an exasperated sigh. Had Noiz been in less pain, he might have chuckled at the 'stubborn brat' he barely made out from Aoba's side.

"I love you."

All at once, Noiz seemed to let go. He laid back on the ground and stared up at the sky with a bright smile on his face. Noiz had done it. He had managed to have his last conversation as a pleasant one with 'I love you"s and all. The blond absentmindedly wondered how many people got to have the feeling of relief one got after telling their loved one how much they cherish them before dying. Not many, he would guess. Noiz opens his eyes (when had he closed them?) and watched the gloomy sky above him, inwardly snickering at how fitting the weather was.

"Hey, Aoba?"

Aoba shuffled again on the other side of the line before answering back.

"Yeah?"

Noiz smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"_I'm sorry._"

Noiz closed his eyes and wondered if the wet feeling on his cheek was from a raindrop or a tear. Probably both if Noiz was honest. He could barely make out Aoba's panicked questions ("_why are you sorry, Noiz? What's going on?! Noiz! Are you okay, Noiz! Oh God, Noiz, are you okay, what's wrong, please tell me, pleasetellme. Noiz! Answer me!" _) Noiz felt so tired. He just wanted to go to sleep. Maybe when he woke up, he would find out everything was a dream, and he could roll over and hug a grumbling Aoba. Noiz chuckled bitterly. As if. Noiz just barely gets out the words telling Aoba where he was before he slipped off into darkness from which he would never return.

* * *

Aoba stood above Noiz's corps- No, _the body_. It was too soon for Aoba to think about what a body meant especially if it belonged to Noiz. Aoba had to hold in a choked sob as he fell to his knees. He had ran to the street where Noiz said he was as quickly as his feet would carry him. Never had Aoba been more grateful for a job that lead him all over East District. Aoba had called an ambulance to the spot. He wasn't sure why, but his intuition told him that Noiz might need one.

Noiz did need one.

Too bad it was too late.

Aoba felt numb, barely feeling the tears beginning to streak his cheeks. So many questions filled his head.

_Why._

_Why did he leave me._

_Why didn't he call an ambulance?_

_Why didn't he tell me sooner, i could have been here._

_I could have saved him._

_Should have saved him._

_I should have noticed something was wrong._

_He was breathing and talking weird the whole time._

_Why didn't he notice it?_

_Oh God, Noiz was dead, and it was all Aoba's fault._

Aoba stared down at Noiz's face. He looked so peaceful despite all the blood and bruises on his body. Aoba could have almost mistaken him for being asleep if it weren't for the dark red liquid that had pooled around him, slowly mixing with the light rain. Aoba felt so tired. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know what was going on anymore, but Aoba wanted to know why. Why was Noiz bloody and hurt. Why didn't the man fight back against him attackers (The man was strong enough to hold his own, so how was he overpowered?). Why was Noiz even in such a dirty alleyway.

The answers were all there. He just didn't want to look at them.

But he had to see them if only as respect for Noiz.

It all became clear when Aoba spotted a tiny wrapped present a foot or so away from Noiz. It was just outside of the range of Noiz's blood (He hated those words together. Hated them more than he thought he could ever hate words). He reached over with a shaky hand and plucked it up from the ground. He had to curl over the box slightly to ensure it wouldn't get wet from the rain that was lazily dropping from the sky. Aoba turned it over in his hands, freezing when he saw the name tag on top of the bow connected to the box.

'_To: Aoba_

_From: Noiz'_

There was a tiny rabbit head beside Noiz's name, and Aoba had to resist beginning another round of crying, because it was so like Noiz to draw a rabbit near his name that it practically hurt Aoba physically. Aoba died inside when he lifted the box cover.

Inside the tiny box was a wedding band that would fit perfectly on Aoba's ring finger.

Aoba lurched forward and cradled the tiny box in his hands, wailing loudly as fresh tears began pouring out of his already raw eyes. He knew what must have happened so well in that moment he could practically view it behind closed shut eyelids.

Noiz must have been on his way home early, getting off from work early to buy the ring. He was probably so excited that he had cut through the alleyways to get to Aoba's house more quickly. Along the way, he must have run into people who, judging by the scraps of clothing and closer inspection, were Rhymers. They probably had a grudge against Noiz that came from Noiz's younger years as a brutal Rhymer and decided to jump him when he was alone. There were clear signs of a struggle, and Noiz even seemed to have knocked out several of the people who attacked him (A small surge of pride rippled through Aoba at this thought before dying down and filling him back up with depression and despair). One of them must have cut him in the thigh with a knife when he wasn't looking and ran off, leaving Noiz there to die.

Aoba felt like screaming.

So he did.

He screamed until his throat was raw and then he screamed some more. His screams didn't cut off until the medics appeared. Then he watched them silently as they tried to approach Noiz. They watched Aoba as though he was a wild animal, which wasn't too far off at the moment honestly. He refused to let them touch Noiz instead laying on Noiz's rapidly cooling body protectively and growling whenever one of the medics tried to get close. Aoba didn't care he was getting blood and muscle tissue all over his clothes. All he care about was nobody touching Noiz.

They had to knock him out to get Noiz.

When Aoba woke up, he didn't cry. He stared at the ceiling with a sense of numb shock. Aoba moved his hand above his head and saw a glimmer of gold on his ring finger.

The tears began and didn't slow for a while.

Aoba didn't know if they would ever slow.

Just like he didn't know if the hole in his heart would ever heal.


End file.
